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Tasnim Shamma

Reporter

Tasnim Shamma

Tanner Latham

Tasnim Shamma joined WFAE as a reporter in August 2012. Before that, she spent a year as a Kroc fellow reporting, writing, editing, blogging and producing for NPR’s Digital News Desk, Weekends on All Things Considered and the National Desk in Washington, D.C. She also spent three months at NPR member station WLRN, based in The Miami Herald newsroom. She graduated from Princeton's Class of 2011, where she was executive editor for multimedia for The Daily Princetonian. She worked as a video intern, copy editor and reporter at The Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Sports Illustrated and Newsweek in New York City and The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J. She grew up in Queens, New York and looks forward to new adventures in Charlotte.

The North Carolina Air National Guard released the results of an investigation into the July plane crash that killed four members of a Charlotte-based crew. They were fighting wildfires in South Dakota at the time of the accident.

In the late 1990s, there were what were called "Crystal Meetings". Top executives from ten Asian-based tech companies met in hotels and bars in Taiwan to set the price of LCD screens. In other words, price-fixing.

After more than a month of investigation, state health officials say they've determined what may have led to 106 cases of E. Coli infection and one death. Investigators say that now that the investigation has been completed, the next step is establishing a task force of state and local health officials and managers.

Local News

4:24 pm

Thu November 8, 2012

The Kannapolis police station was, at one time, a funeral home. It also has some plumbing issues. But the major issue is space.

"It was not built to be a secure police headquarters," Ann Gibson, the city's marking and communications director says. "With the new facility, they'll just be able to improve their operations tremendously. Everything from evidence storage, suspect security, really, all aspects of their operation."

Republican challenger Richard Hudson was all smiles last night in Concord. He could finally claim victory as the 8th congressional district's new congressman -- replacing Democrat Larry Kissell -- who was seeking his third term.

Even with early-voting results showing a big lead for Richard Hudson, the packed crowd at the Hilton Garden Inn ballroom waited more than two hours before Hudson claimed victory.

"Wow, look at this crowd," Hudson says. "Thank you so much. I'm just so honored by the tremendous support we've gotten from the district. What a great night, huh?"

Thu November 1, 2012

Do you generally sit out elections? An arm of the liberal group, MoveOn.org, may have found a way of shaming you into voting. Between now and Election day, it's mailing out millions of voter "report cards" to residents of swing states like North Carolina.

It's pretty simple. On the left, a bar graph compares the number of times you voted with the neighborhood average in the last five general elections. And then on the right, you get graded based on voting history.

There are only about 100 restaurants in all of Lancaster County, South Carolina. That's not a lot and some residents say they routinely cross county and state borders to get some breakfast or lunch. It's tied to the state's prohibition on restaurants serving alcohol on Sundays. Next week, residents will vote on whether to allow restaurants serve alcohol on Sundays.

The effort has been led Elissa Boyet. She didn’t know about the prohibition when she moved from Charlotte to Lancaster County in 2008.

Election 2012

11:23 pm

Tue October 30, 2012

Republicans make up 5.5 percent of all minority voters in the state with 104,445 voters. The total number of minority voters is 1,895,314. Libertarians make up the smallest percentage of all minority voters (3,646).

The slightest change in support can tip the North Carolina vote in favor of President Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

An Elon University poll released this week shows they are in a statistical dead heat heading into the final week of campaigning. They are appealing to an electorate that’s undergone significant change. U.S. Census figures show minorities accounted for 35 percent of North Carolina’s population growth in the last decade.

So we looked at the influence of the minority vote and the challenges Romney has in capturing it.

Local News

3:45 pm

Thu October 25, 2012

In the ongoing cross-border competition for jobs, Charlotte is losing yet another company to South Carolina.

Just last month, it was photo-sharing company Shutterfly abandoning Charlotte for Fort Mill.

On Tuesday, Physicians Choice Laboratory Services announced it is moving to Rock Hill, where it will double its workforce. The drug testing company opened in 2009 and now has 150 employees in Charlotte.

Mark Farris, the economic development director of York County, says it’s only natural.